What Sold at Art Basel 2025: Top Prices, Artists, and Market Trends

Art Basel 2025: A Snapshot of the Global Art Market

Art Basel 2025 reaffirmed its role as the world’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art. While many expected a cautious atmosphere, the fair delivered several standout sales and confirmed that collectors remain committed to investing in high-quality, blue-chip works. The overall tone was selective but steady, suggesting a buyer’s market where top-tier works still generate strong results.

Top-Selling Artists and Works at the Fair

Among the headline sales this year was David Hockney’s Mid November Tunnel (2006), sold by Annely Juda Fine Art for a price estimated between $13 million and $17 million, making it the most expensive work sold during the fair.

Annely Juda Fine Art: Hockney Dominates

The top result of the fair came from London’s Annely Juda Fine Art. Hockney’s landscape, a vivid example of his later career, garnered attention for both its quality and scale, solidifying the artist’s enduring market appeal.

David Zwirner: Asawa and Richter

David Zwirner posted significant sales, including a rare sculpture by Ruth Asawa at $9.5 million, and a painting by Gerhard Richter that sold for $6.8 million. These results underline strong demand for established post-war artists.

Hauser & Wirth: Bradford and Condo

Hauser & Wirth led its offerings with two 2025 works by Mark Bradford, each sold for $3.5 million. The gallery also placed two 2025 paintings by George Condo—Streets of New York and The Insanity of the Devil—each for $2.45 million, reflecting collector confidence in both artists.

Gladstone Gallery: Keith Haring and Alex Katz

Gladstone Gallery reported the sale of a 1983 untitled Keith Haring for $3.5 million, while a 2025 Alex Katz painting achieved $1.2 million. The results show continued interest in iconic 20th-century figures and living legends.

White Cube: Baselitz, Emin, and Armitage

White Cube, named one of the best booths at the fair, achieved strong sales:

• Georg Baselitz’s Oh ho, siamo ritornati, am deutschen Wesen, Weltgenesungsbild (2023): €2.2 million ($2.5 million)

• Michael Armitage’s In the Garden (2015): $3.25 million

• Cai Guo-Qiang: Works sold for $1.2 million, $700,000, and $700,000

• Tracey Emin’s We do not Sleep (2024): £900,000 ($1.2 million)

• Emin’s Coming Down From Love (2024): £375,000 ($503,911)

These results highlight the gallery’s strength in presenting both established names and emotionally resonant contemporary works.

Thaddaeus Ropac and Pace: Historic and Global Voices

Thaddaeus Ropac sold Georg Baselitz’s Drei Hunde aufwärts (1968) for €3 million ($3.45 million), confirming collector appetite for historical works.

Pace Gallery led with Agnes Martin’s Untitled #5 (2002), which sold for over $4 million, and also placed Emily Kam Kngwarray’s Anooralya – Yam Story (1994) for $450,000, demonstrating growing global attention to Indigenous Australian artists.

Perrotin: Murakami’s Continued Popularity

Perrotin Gallery led its sales with Takashi Murakami’s Untitled (2022–25), which sold for $550,000, indicating stable demand for the Japanese superstar’s vibrant, cross-cultural aesthetic.

Market Takeaways: A Buyer’s Market, But Quality Wins

Despite the high numbers, Art Basel 2025 underscored a careful market dynamic. Buyers were thoughtful, galleries were strategic, and quality proved to be the defining factor in closing deals. Works with institutional relevance, historical significance, or fresh contemporary narratives drew the strongest interest.

Gallery Highlights: Blue-Chip Dealers Lead the Sales

While mega-galleries continued to dominate top-tier transactions, several mid-size and focused galleries made headlines with blockbuster results, particularly Annely Juda’s placement of the Hockney canvas. The continued presence of works priced over $1 million across multiple booths suggests resilience in the upper end of the market.

Demand for Emerging and Indigenous Artists Remains Strong

Beyond the blue-chip stars, the presence of artists like Emily Kam Kngwarray and Michael Armitage points to a wider, global conversation taking hold within collecting circles. Art Basel 2025 reflected a more expansive and inclusive view of cultural value in contemporary art.